judgement

Are You Ready to Meet Jesus? – Part 1

/ Bob

Meeting important people like the President of the United States or your favorite NFL quarterback is an event that brings on much anticipation, anxiety, and excitement. It also brings on an urgency to properly prepare for the event – to make sure you have the right clothes and the right words to say when you finally come face to face. One day each and every one of us is going to meet the most famous and influential person ever to exist. He is known as Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. Are you ready to meet Him?

Consider what that meeting will be like. How we will react to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords when we come into His presence? So many images come to mind, but one image tends to be absent from these ponderings – the image of Judgment. In Hebrews 9:27 we read that we all are going to die and that after that will come judgment. We sometimes joke that the only 2 sure things in life are death and taxes. However, once you die you’ll no longer have to worry about taxes, but judgment? Yep, it’s still coming.

Sunday morning’s lesson was a time to consider our readiness to meet Jesus. We also began a discussion of judgement.  We will continue the study on judgment and then hopefully we will discuss how to make sure we make it to Heaven.  That is the gist of Lesson 7 entitled “Making Your Reservation in Heaven.”   God is patient with us and doesn’t want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9) but He is also a God of Justice and Judgment. We need to make sure where we stand on His scales of Justice before we stand before Him in Judgment.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, July 6, 2025. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Heaven & Angels: Our Eternal Home and Its Heavenly Hosts. You can find print and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/heaven-angels-study-guide/ . Handouts with class presentation content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


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Class Notes – 07.06.2025 – Lesson 6 – Meeting the KingDownload

Our Nation Is in His Hands

/ Bob

5Then the LORD gave me this message: 6“O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. 7If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, 8but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. 9And if I announce that I will build up and plant a certain nation or kingdom, making it strong and great, 10but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless that nation as I had said I would.Jeremiah 18:5-10

God spoke these words to the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah. While we should be cautious about taking any prophecy concerning the nation of Israel and applying it to any other nation such as the United States of America, we should take note of the general description of God’s sovereignty as we look at verses 7-10. In fact, we could replace the words “a nation” and “a kingdom” with the informal name, America, and it’s truth remains the same.

5Then the LORD gave me this message: 6“O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. 7If I announce that America is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, 8but then America renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. 9And if I announce that I will build up and plant America, making it strong and great, 10but then America turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless America as I had said I would.

We must renounce our evil ways. We must turn away from evil and turn to the One who alone holds us in the palms of His hands . . . before it’s too late.